Bill's PurpleCrayon Blog
Bill's PurpleCrayon Blog features riffs galore about advertising, marketing, the Arts and just about anything else that happens to be on my mind at the moment.
Saturday, March 20, 2004
"IT WILL BE A GOOD DAY"
One of the things I like about the progressive rock group Yes (in addition to their unrivaled creativity) is the venerable group's penchant for recording uplifting, often emotional, songs like "It Will Be a Good Day (The River)" from 1999's The Ladder.
Jon Anderson -- frequently criticized for what some call his much-too-rosey outlook on life -- penned the lyrics to that upbeat song, a tune that seems specially written for today.
And what a day it was.
We finally had a sunny day in Grand Rapids! And not only sunny, but relatively warm to boot. A perfect day for walking.
Which is just what Elisabeth and I did.
First we drove to Ada Park to stroll the paved footpaths that wind around the small lake and through the woods.
The water of that tiny lake is crystal clear, by the way. Absolutely pristine. One can see the leaf-covered bottom as clearly as if there was no water at all.
Then -- and we were totally surprised by this -- we saw the first turtle of the season sunning himself on a log! Frankly, we think he's going to freeze his little turtle tail off in the next few days (since the temperature is supposed to nose-dive tomorrow), but who are we to argue with a turtle? He must know what he's doing, right?
After a wonderful time at Ada Park, we returned to our end of town where we stopped by a local specialty food store called Horrocks to buy a few groceries for the upcoming week. There, we discovered a few pink miniature carnations and a perfect salmon-colored Gerber Daisy (that seemed to call to me from a display of the happy-looking flowers). We brought the flora home to brighten our kitchen. (Now, if we could only keep our cat Bradbury from making a snack of the mini carnations in the center of our table we'd be all set.)
Grand Rapids is one of the few places I've ever lived that regularly boasts temperature swings that make the dark side of the moon seem like a tropical vacation. Believe it or not, we lost about 30 degrees today, going from a very comfortable 55ish mid-day to about 30 by nightfall. We felt it coming, though. Heard it, too. The gale-force winds signalling the cold front set our wind chimes dancing frenetically.
But not before the ice melted on the lake behind our place. And someone on the other side of the lake was grilling something (a bit prematurely, I think, but the smell was delightful). That, alone, makes for a good day.
"Sometimes I forget
How mighty this earth
Astounding winter skies
Truth is in birth
Peace that it brings to me
my naked eyes
Be a good day
Golden mountains golden
seas
A thousand reasons
singing to me
Alive to this message
Realising it all
Be a good day"
Aren't those incredible lyrics? Wow. I think Jon Anderson's "much-too-rosey" view of the world is just what the world needs these days.
Besides, it's days like this that give me hope, and fill my life with joy (Elisabeth does that, too, all year 'round, in fact). Winter was long and hard this year. But the coming of Spring in West Michigan makes it all worth it.
Yes, it'll be a good day. Truly.
Keep Purple!
Return to PurpleCrayon Direct.
One of the things I like about the progressive rock group Yes (in addition to their unrivaled creativity) is the venerable group's penchant for recording uplifting, often emotional, songs like "It Will Be a Good Day (The River)" from 1999's The Ladder.
Jon Anderson -- frequently criticized for what some call his much-too-rosey outlook on life -- penned the lyrics to that upbeat song, a tune that seems specially written for today.
And what a day it was.
We finally had a sunny day in Grand Rapids! And not only sunny, but relatively warm to boot. A perfect day for walking.
Which is just what Elisabeth and I did.
First we drove to Ada Park to stroll the paved footpaths that wind around the small lake and through the woods.
The water of that tiny lake is crystal clear, by the way. Absolutely pristine. One can see the leaf-covered bottom as clearly as if there was no water at all.
Then -- and we were totally surprised by this -- we saw the first turtle of the season sunning himself on a log! Frankly, we think he's going to freeze his little turtle tail off in the next few days (since the temperature is supposed to nose-dive tomorrow), but who are we to argue with a turtle? He must know what he's doing, right?
After a wonderful time at Ada Park, we returned to our end of town where we stopped by a local specialty food store called Horrocks to buy a few groceries for the upcoming week. There, we discovered a few pink miniature carnations and a perfect salmon-colored Gerber Daisy (that seemed to call to me from a display of the happy-looking flowers). We brought the flora home to brighten our kitchen. (Now, if we could only keep our cat Bradbury from making a snack of the mini carnations in the center of our table we'd be all set.)
Grand Rapids is one of the few places I've ever lived that regularly boasts temperature swings that make the dark side of the moon seem like a tropical vacation. Believe it or not, we lost about 30 degrees today, going from a very comfortable 55ish mid-day to about 30 by nightfall. We felt it coming, though. Heard it, too. The gale-force winds signalling the cold front set our wind chimes dancing frenetically.
But not before the ice melted on the lake behind our place. And someone on the other side of the lake was grilling something (a bit prematurely, I think, but the smell was delightful). That, alone, makes for a good day.
"Sometimes I forget
How mighty this earth
Astounding winter skies
Truth is in birth
Peace that it brings to me
my naked eyes
Be a good day
Golden mountains golden
seas
A thousand reasons
singing to me
Alive to this message
Realising it all
Be a good day"
Aren't those incredible lyrics? Wow. I think Jon Anderson's "much-too-rosey" view of the world is just what the world needs these days.
Besides, it's days like this that give me hope, and fill my life with joy (Elisabeth does that, too, all year 'round, in fact). Winter was long and hard this year. But the coming of Spring in West Michigan makes it all worth it.
Yes, it'll be a good day. Truly.
Keep Purple!
Return to PurpleCrayon Direct.
Friday, March 19, 2004
"WHEN YOU CAN TAKE THE PEBBLE FROM MY HAND..."
One of my all-time favorite TV shows was Kung Fu, starring David Carradine.
I wasn't alone. The off-beat series (1972-1975) about a soft spoken Shaolin priest wandering the Old West was so popular that elements of it rose to the level of iconic.
For example...
Remember Kwai Chang Cain's nickname? ("Grasshopper")
Remember Master Kan's rite-of-passage phrase? ("Quickly as you can, snatch the pebble from my hand. When you can take the pebble from my hand, it will be time for you to leave")
Remember how Kwai Chang introduced himself? ("I...am...Caine.")
This week, Kung Fu The Complete First Season was released on DVD. You better believe I was first in line.
And, quickly as I could, I snatched a copy from the hand of the kind clerk at Circuit City.
Before I knew it, it was time for me to leave.
Surprisingly, the episodes still hold up, even 30 years after they were first broadcast. Sure, the background music is '70s cheesy. And the acting isn't exactly Oscar caliber, but it's fun to relive one's youth.
Now, if someone would just release the entire Andy Griffith Show in remastered DVD format, I'd be in heaven.
Keep Purple!
Back to PurpleCrayon Direct.
One of my all-time favorite TV shows was Kung Fu, starring David Carradine.
I wasn't alone. The off-beat series (1972-1975) about a soft spoken Shaolin priest wandering the Old West was so popular that elements of it rose to the level of iconic.
For example...
Remember Kwai Chang Cain's nickname? ("Grasshopper")
Remember Master Kan's rite-of-passage phrase? ("Quickly as you can, snatch the pebble from my hand. When you can take the pebble from my hand, it will be time for you to leave")
Remember how Kwai Chang introduced himself? ("I...am...Caine.")
This week, Kung Fu The Complete First Season was released on DVD. You better believe I was first in line.
And, quickly as I could, I snatched a copy from the hand of the kind clerk at Circuit City.
Before I knew it, it was time for me to leave.
Surprisingly, the episodes still hold up, even 30 years after they were first broadcast. Sure, the background music is '70s cheesy. And the acting isn't exactly Oscar caliber, but it's fun to relive one's youth.
Now, if someone would just release the entire Andy Griffith Show in remastered DVD format, I'd be in heaven.
Keep Purple!
Back to PurpleCrayon Direct.
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